Friday Funny: 25 Cringe-Worthy Work Moments

From wayward toilet paper to falling asleep in a meeting, here are 25 embarrassing moments at work that will make you glad they didn’t happen to you.

December 1, 2017

Friday Funny: 25 Cringe-Worthy Work Moments

We’ve all had a bad day at the office. Too much work, a crabby client, an annoying coworker—these are all to be expected in the normal course of a career. But some of us have had some really bad days. In a new survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam, senior managers were asked to recount their most embarrassing moments at work.

Credit: BananaStock

Here are some of their responses:

“I screamed because a coworker put a spider on me.”

“My swivel chair moved as I was sitting down and I ended up on the floor.”

“I turned to talk to someone and walked into the elevator door.”

“I fell and broke a tooth while running up the stairs.”

“I came out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe.”

“I vomited onstage while receiving an award.”

“I fell asleep during a meeting and had to be woken up.”

“I mistakenly went into the women’s restroom.”

“I swore after a phone call without realizing the person was still on the line.”

“I couldn’t find my car after happy hour.”

“I showed up for work on a Saturday because I thought it was Friday.”

Tech troubles were a common theme:

“Everyone showed up for a meeting on the wrong day because I had incorrectly scheduled it.”

“I sent an email badmouthing a person to that individual.”

“I got caught hiding in the bathroom using my phone.”

“I broke the coffee machine, and it started spraying nonstop.”

Others suffered a case of mistaken identity:

“I gave an award to the wrong person during a recognition ceremony.”

“I greeted two clients who were sisters as mother and daughter.”

“I accidentally called a male customer ‘ma’am’ on the phone.”

Several respondents experienced wardrobe woes:

“I ripped my pants while playing hacky sack and had to get a new pair.”

“I wore mismatched shoes to work.”

“I spilled food on my outfit during lunch with a client.”

“I didn’t realize until after a meeting that my zipper was down.”

Finally, these bloopers gave managers something to chew on:

“I sneezed while eating and food flew everywhere.”

“I made a cake to celebrate an employee’s birthday and found out she was allergic to it.”

“I ate the wrong lunch out of the refrigerator.”

“Experiencing the occasional embarrassing moment at work is something we can all relate to,” said Koula Vasilopoulos, a district president for OfficeTeam. “Recover smoothly and avoid any prolonged awkwardness by staying composed and responding with a sense of humor.”

The survey was based on responses from more than 300 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada and the United States.

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